PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS TO COOROY FUTURE GROUP INC AGM
22 September 2022
I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we
meet today, and to pay respects to elders past and present. As president, I welcome everyone
here to this 2022 Annual General Meeting of Cooroy Future Group Inc.
This past year once again has seen some great achievements, and also some significant
challenges. However, overall, it has been busy and successful for Cooroy Future Group.
John Hartley joined the Board this year, and has taken on the role of treasurer.
As part of our community involvement, this year we have awarded 2 bursaries to students at
Nambour TAFE. One was offered for the Creative Arts section, and one for Sport and
Recreation. Each participant has been awarded $1,000 to put towards their studies in their
chosen field and/or to equipment they require to help achieve their goals.
We also made a donation of $5,000 to Noosa Landcare to go towards planting trees on the
Great Noosa Trail Walk, and I believe a whole paddock was planted out, with a plaque
recognizing the contribution of Cooroy Future Group.
Cooroy Fusion Festival: The CFG will no longer be running the Fusion Festival in its old
format, but will instead be running smaller community events at a greater frequency. The
first of those was the CFG Christmas Party held in conjunction with the Cooroy Chamber of
Commerce last year.
Great Noosa Trail Walk: This event was run very successfully over the October long
weekend last year. Kym Neaylon is currently chairing this project and is ably assisted by
event coordinator, Lisa Marshall, and Tash Ballantyne who only joined us in July to take on
marketing responsibilities, and, who has significant success in lifting the profile of the event.
The walk progressed through the Noosa hinterland, starting in Cooroy, passing through Kin
Kin and Cooran and finishing in Pomona. With 198 walkers booked and 20 trail guides plus
a large contingent of community volunteers, it was voted a great success once again.
Congratulations to last year’s event and we look forward to this year’s event. We are hoping
the weather will be kind again and thank you once again Noosa Council and Tourism Noosa
for your support for this event.
Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre: Firstly, I need to thank Noosa Council for its ongoing
support in running of the Butter Factory. This year was a challenging one for the BFAC.
When the government introduced a health mandate late last year, the Cooroy Butter Factory
Arts Centre was affected as it is a government owned gallery. We introduced a Covid Policy
which unfortunately meant the majority of our staff needed to take leave for three months.
Two of our existing staff were able to step into the assistant’s role and thankfully the director
of Noosa Regional Gallery was able to introduce us to Kevin Wilson, a highly respected
gallery manager/curator/coordinator who took on the temporary coordinator role for 3 months
and has now joined us as a permanent employee.
Visitor numbers are strong and attendees at exhibition openings are very good. Weekends
have become busier which we attribute in some part to the opening of the nearby new
Hinterland Adventure Playground.
Artisan Store artists average 35-40 each month and sales in both the gallery areas and the
Artisan Store are very strong. Masterclasses book out very quickly and are usually full by
start date. Children’s workshops for holiday periods are always booked out very quickly.
Butter Factory Friends membership currently stands at 114. Exhibition spaces are booked out
into 2024 and Kevin is planning many initiatives in this area.
The Butter Factory Pottery is alive and thriving with weekly classes, 4 firings a week and
being available for use to the community most days of the week. Feedback from people
undertaking classes has been very positive.
As a community Arts Centre, as always there have been numerous community-based, or
multiple-exhibitor, exhibitions over the last year. Congratulations to the install team, many of
whom are volunteers, in handling the set ups of these joint exhibitions which naturally create
significantly more work. Our Artists in Residence program in the Kaya Sulc Residency
Studio on the mezzanine is thriving and Kevin Wilson is looking at including emerging artists
exhibitions in this space as well. The Artisan Store continues to grow and the rentals
received, plus commissions generated from sales, are a steady contribution to the bottom line.
Tash Ballantyne who is assisting with marketing for the Great Noosa Trail Walk is also
assisting with the marketing for the Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre and is having a
significant impact.
In closing I would like to thank Noosa Council for its support of our endeavours and in
particular Deputy Mayor Frank Wilkie who has been so supportive and so quick in following
up queries for us; Tracey King, manager Libraries and Galleries at Noosa Council who has
always been supportive and helpful; my fellow Board members for their support, hard work
and generosity in building and maintaining our projects; and our wonderful staff and
volunteers in helping to grow our role in the Cooroy community.
We look forward to the future with great confidence.
